Last of the Bathurst Turbo Winners at Top Gear Live

SYDNEY – February 1, 2010: The Nissan GT-R that closed the Turbo era on Bathurst when it won the 1992 ‘Great Race’ in highly controversial circumstances is one of the famous racing cars that will be seen in the 2010 Top Gear Live Bathurst Legends presented by Shannons Insurance at Acer Arena from February 11-14.

Driven by Mark Skaife and Jim Richards, the Nissan was awarded the race victory in 1992 after a deluge late in the race created chaos on the Mt.Panorama circuit, causing many cars to crash, including the factory-backed GT-R then in Richards’ hands.

However as it was leading the race from the Dick Johnson/John Bowe Shell Ford Sierra RS500 when it last crossed the finish line before the red flag came out, the Nissan was declared the race winner, much to the unbridled dissatisfaction of the Ford supporters.

Riled by jeers from the partisan crowd, Jim Richards suspended his usually gentlemanly demeanour and infamously branded the rabble “a bunch of arseholes!”

However it was clear that the four wheel drive turbocharged GT-R and Skaife/Richards were clearly the class of the field and deserved the victory, closing in style the short but explosive era of turbocharged touring cars at Bathurst.

The race was one that many would prefer to forget.

Peter Brock broke a driveshaft on the start line as the flag dropped and failed to move, while Johnson and Bowe drove their heart out and finished with an intact car, but missed victory due to the timing of the red flag.

It was also a sad day for all racing enthusiasts with New Zealand’s 1967 World Champion Denny Hulme suffering a fatal heart attack while racing and died at the wheel of his BMW M3.

Sharing the spotlight with the 1992 race winner at Top Gear Live will be a stellar display of vehicles responsible for 9 other Bathurst victories: -

the 1977 race-winning Moffat Ford Dealer Team Falcon XC coupe of Allan Moffat and Jacky Ickx and its sister car driver by Colin Bond and Alan Hamilton that was instructed to relinquish its lead in the controversial ‘form finish’

the 1979 Bathurst-winning Peter Brock/ Jim Richards Torana A9X that won by six laps

the ‘tribute’ Commodore racecar built personally by Peter Brock to replicate the now-destroyed 1980 winning VC model that he shared with Jim Richards

the 1981-winning Dick Johnson/John French ‘Tru-Blue’ Falcon XD

the Brock/Larry Perkins Commodore VH that won back-to-back Bathurst races in 1982 and 1983

the 1984 race-winning Brock/Perkins Commodore VK

the 1985-winning John Goss/Armin Hahne Jaguar XJS

the 1987 race-winning Brock/David Parsons/Peter McLeod-winning Commodore VL

the 1989-winning Johnson/John Bowe Ford Sierra RS500

This spectacular line-up will also be joined by the Chevrolet Camaro of Kevin Bartlett/Colin Bond that was dubbed the ‘Channel 6 Camaro’ after it bowed out on its roof in the 1982 Bathurst.

Paul Gates, National Sales Manager of Shannons Insurance, said the display would represent probably the greatest number of Bathurst winning and legendary vehicles in one place at one time.

“Top Gear Live has given us this opportunity that may never be repeated,” he said. “We encourage patrons to leave time before or after the TGL show to view these legendary vehicles and reminisce about the great days of The Great Race.”